Raikkonen increasingly veering towards Ferrari seat

With the latest developments at Red Bull, which promises Daniel Ricciardo a 2014 seat, Kimi Raikkonen is likely to leave his current team to return to Ferrari next season.

With Fernando Alonso’s relationship with the Italian team turning edgy after the Spaniard’s comments following the Hungarian Grand Prix and the rebuke of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo shortly thereafter, Raikkonen could be in prime position for a return to Maranello.

Not sure that the ALO-Montezemolo relationship improved during August. Kimi now lined up as a swap, with VET going red in 2015

Moreover, Lotus’ attempt to retain the Finn appears to be dodgy as the outfit is struggling financially and is currently working improving its situation.

"I would like to keep him, to be honest, but I want to keep him with the right conditions,” Lotus team principal Eric Boullier told Autosport. "If we can't afford him because of finances, then I don't want to have him because he will be a pain in the arse - and it will difficult to build something on this.”

Raikkonen’s manager Steve Robertson is confident that his driver will be in Formula 1 next year although he refused to divulge which teams he was negotiating with specifically.

"There are options - and that is plural - out there and I will continue to talk to teams,” he revealed.